[1] Ranford was born in Brandon, Manitoba but because his father was in the Canadian Armed Forces, he grew up in various places across Canada and even lived in Germany for a few years.

He played for local teams in Portage la Prairie, Manitoba, Prince Edward Island and Red Deer, Alberta.

In 1990 and with constant comparisons to the injured Fuhr, Ranford emerged as a first-rate goaltender, leading the Oilers to the Stanley Cup and winning the Conn Smythe Trophy (playoff MVP) in the process.

Ranford went on to play the next six seasons in Edmonton before being dealt back to the Boston Bruins on January 11, 1996 for Mariusz Czerkawski, Sean Brown, and a first round pick in the 1996 Entry Draft (Matthieu Descoteaux).

He began the season with Tampa Bay but was traded to the Detroit Red Wings on March 23, 1999 for a conditional draft pick.

Ranford saw his final playoff action that spring, appearing in four games in the second round while starter Chris Osgood was injured.

His final year in the NHL was 1999–2000, where Ranford returned to Edmonton as a free agent, backing up Tommy Salo before announcing his retirement on April 24.

After stopping the last Finnish shooter, Mika Nieminen, in the decisive shootout in the gold medal game, Ranford jumped into the air and was mobbed by his teammates.

Ranford played net for the Edmonton Oilers alumni team at the 2003 Heritage Classic, the first outdoor regular-season game in NHL history.